Dark Angel: Reunited Or Not
by elle6778
Summary: COMPLETE. Sequel to Breeding Partners Or Not. What are the chances of Alec and Max getting together again? MA.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

Title: Reunited Or Not

Rating: T (M-rated chapters will be identified individually)  
Show: Dark Angel  
Genre: Angst/Drama (Kind of!)  
Pairing: M/A  
Summary: Sequel to Breeding Partners Or Not. What are the chances of Alec and Max getting together again?

A/N: This is the result of the requests from you guys for a sequel. After whinging about it for days, I've finally managed to finish the first chapter. It's kind of difficult to continue on after the end of Breeding Partners, I think because the story has already concluded in my mind. But here's my attempt. Hope you enjoy'll it.

For those who haven't read Breeding Partners, you need to read it first before reading this, otherwise nothing will make sense!

* * *

**Reunited Or Not - Chapter 1**

(by elle6778)

The radiance of the full moon filtered through the dusty windows to bathe the sparsely furnished room and its inhabitants in its pearly glow. The balmy night was silent save the soft sounds of heavy inhalation and exhalation of the occupants of the room.

Sweaty from his exertions, Alec shifted his bare back against the back of the wall and positioned his arms in a more comfortable position. His fingers were laced together, his arms stretched over his head, displaying his taut muscles. He was sitting on the floor, staring straight out of the window, watching the dark clouds shifting over the moon.

His mind was back in its usual place. Whenever he was not actively doing something, it was inevitable that his thoughts would settle on one person. Max. It has always been that way even before the downfall of Manticore's facility. He just had not realized it until after the fire. And now, thinking of her has become as natural as breathing for him.

It was not as if he was thinking of anything in particular. Just her. He knew that she was alright; he had just checked on her a few weeks ago. That was another regular habit for him nowadays; to watch her quietly from the shadows every few weeks or so. Just to see if she was doing okay.

He continued his visit even after he had seen with his own eyes that she had moved on.

Alec closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying not to think about that one aspect of her life which had caused him so much internal grief. His heart felt as if it had been stabbed when he saw her with that guy. He guessed that he was still hurting somewhere inside, but it was more bearable now, dulled with time. Perhaps because it had to be, otherwise he would not have survived the pain.

Two months ago, he had decided that he should do the same. He had decided that he should try to move on.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" a female voice beside him asked. Alec did not miss the tinge of reproach in her tone.

Without opening his eyes, he replied mildly, "About who?"

"The girl in your head," she said, rather impatiently.

Opening his eyes, Alec lowered his arms and twisted his body around to face the owner of the voice. "I didn't know that I have an imaginary friend in my head. So why don't you tell me who she is? Is she hot?" he said with a smirk.

The girl's voice suggested that she was offended by his response. "How am I supposed to know who is she? All I can guess is that she's someone you probably had a relationship with at some point in the past. The one you can't seem to let go."

His jaw settled into an uncompromising line. "You're forgetting something."

Her tone was cautious when she asked, "What?"

"I don't do relationships."

* * *

Max rapped loudly on the door to the penthouse.

Nowadays, she no longer just barged into Logan's apartment unannounced. The last time she did that… Max shuddered, not wanting to recall what she had seen. Some things were better left forgotten, or if not forgotten, at least pushed very far to the back of her mind.

Like walking in on Logan and Asha while they were 'busy'.

The door swung open.

Logan stood on the other side of the threshold with a welcoming smile on his face. "Hey," he uttered his usual greeting.

"How're things?" she asked, walking past him into the apartment. As usual, the place was spotless, completely unlike the one she shared with her flatmates.

His exoskeleton whirred softly as he began to walk. "Things are okay. I'm working on something with Asha. Some S1W issues," he said as he returned to his computer and sat down.

Max came up behind him. "So, any news?" she asked anxiously.

He shook his head, glancing over his shoulders at her. "I'm afraid not. I've tried everywhere, but those guys are good."

Snorting inelegantly, Max said, "Yeah, well, no surprise there. They were trained to lose themselves on command." Then she frowned. "But there're so many of them. Chances are, at least one of them might have slipped."

A voice inside her head taunted; _or is it just your wishful thinking, Max? _

"I don't know. There are no signs of unusual activity anywhere. That's what I've been trying to track," he explained, and then paused suddenly.

Wondering why he seemed so hesitant, Max asked cautiously, "What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "You know, Max. It has been ten months since the fire in Manticore."

She looked away, not wanting him to see the disappointment and pain in her eyes. It has been ten months, but it had not lessened her anxiety. It was not any easier for her now. She still thought about Alec all the time. And although it had become less agonising, she still thought a lot about their unborn child.

She needed to find him.

No matter how long it took.

Strengthening her resolve, she said in a stronger voice, "Yeah, I know it has been ten months. So?"

"So, chances are, they have all split up and left Seattle. Max, I don't think we're going to find them. We can't keep looking endlessly," Logan explained, sounding a little impatient.

Her lips tightened. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? "You mean you _won't_ keep looking," she accused, her voice tight.

"It's not that, Max…"

"Then what is it?" she broke in angrily. She could not believe that he was doing this to her. That he was letting her down like this. Did he not realise how important this was for her? How important it was for her to find Alec?

"Max, ten months is a long time," he said with a weary sigh.

She glared at him. "Let's get this straight. You're complaining about spending ten months searching for a bunch of transgenics when I've spent an entire year risking life and limb on your missions. What happened to our quid-pro-quo, Logan?" she asked. She was so angry, so furious at him that her voice was barely controlled.

"I know, Max. It's not as if I didn't do my part. I found Ben…"

Her disgusted exclamation interrupted his sentence. "You found Ben. What about the rest? I did more than one mission for Eyes Only," she pointed out.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, she said, "Look, I know you're busy and all with Asha and S1W. But do this one thing for me. Find them. Find Alec. And then we're even."

He gave her a beseeching look. "Max, I'm not saying that I won't help you. And I'm not doing this because I think we owe each other something. It's just that the chances of finding them aren't that good. We might be just wasting our time," he explained.

She exhaled loudly, suddenly feeling weary of the entire argument. "I need to find them, Logan," she said sounding a little defeated. "If I can do more myself, I would. But I don't want to risk alerting Manticore if they're still around."

He fell silent for a moment, and then sighed. "Fine. I'll look again," he relented.

She brightened immediately. "Thanks. Just this once and that's it," she promised.

"Max, you know I'll always be here for you."

"Yeah, okay. Anyway, I've gotta blaze."

"So soon?" Logan exclaimed, looking a little upset.

Max shrugged and gave him a sheepish smile. "What can I say? Normal's a slave driver."

Without a backward glance, Max walked out of the door and shut it behind her. Then the smile immediately slipped from her face and her shoulders slumped visibly.

The ache in her heart intensified as thoughts of Alec began to assail her again. Why was he not looking for her? Has he forgotten about them? Had she effectively rejected him away she refused to stay back in Manticore with him? Was that why he did not bother to look for her?

What if it was worse? What if his absence meant that he did not make it out?

No. He was skilful enough to fight his way past the X7s. If she had done it, he would have been more than equipped to do the same.

What if it was too late for them?

* * *

Alright, this has got to stop, Alec thought to himself.

This was like some kind of self-inflicted torture, the worst kind he could think of. Watching Max was one thing. But watching Max with her guy was another thing altogether. Yeah, he was glad that she seemed content, but he could not help but wish that _he_ was the one who put that smile on her face, not some other blonde guy.

He knew that he had made the decision to move on months ago. But he could not help himself. It has been two month since he had seen her last and however much it pained him to admit it, he needed to see her again. It was like a dependency which he could not shake off. A craving which he could not satisfy.

The helmet obscured his face, so this time he could get closer. He shifted slightly on his bike, knowing that he should leave. He was just parked not far from her apartment block, the one that the blonde guy had moved into more than half a year ago.

Max's guy had just pulled up beside her on his bike. He had gotten off his bike and was now standing beside her with his side profile to Alec. He was saying something to Max, who was also standing beside her bike in preparation to go somewhere. Crash, probably, Alec thought. But whatever he was saying, she did not seem to take it well. Lover's quarrel, he thought with a grimace.

_With luck, maybe they would split and then there might be a chance,_ a hopeful voice inside him said.

Alec squeezed his eyes shut when he realised what he was thinking. _Yeah, right, what makes you think that she'll accept you even if she broke up with Blondie over there? Don't you think that she'll be asking why you stayed away so long without a single word to her?_

He should have just gone up to her when he had a chance. Something like eleven months ago.

Now it was probably too late, he thought dejectedly.

* * *

"I can't believe he wants to stop looking for Alec. I thought we had this quid pro quo thing, but he obviously only sees it from his side."

"Maybe he has a point, Max."

Her eyes rounded for a second in surprise, and then narrowed. "What are you saying, Zack?"

"They would have split by now if they're smart. There's no one to lead them now. Why would they stay so close to Seattle? This is the first place anyone would look," he explained.

"Are you saying that we should stop looking as well? Who's side are you on?" she asked angrily, feeling a little betrayed. Of all people, Zack should understand.

"Max, Seattle is big and who's to say he's still here. He might be in Canada or some place like that, hiding out."

"I need to find him, Zack."

Zack sighed. "Max, you've been staying static for months. I hate to say this but has it occurred to you to wonder why he hasn't found you?"

Max stared silently at her feet. She understood what Zack was trying to tell her. It had occurred to her too, more than once in fact, but she did not want to believe that Alec would just leave without at least saying goodbye. Unless the whole thing about him caring for her in Manticore was just a lie.

She refused to believe that Alec could be so cold-hearted. "He's not like that. And I can't just give up," she said softly.

Zack wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I know. Sometimes I remember things after our escape. It had been hard, tracking all of your down, but I never gave up. I wish I could remember more."

"But you understand, right?" she gave him a beseeching look.

He stared at her for a moment before he replied, "Of course." Gently, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

Max leaned onto him, grateful for the comfort he was providing.

It had been pure luck that she had found Zack nearly seven month ago. Sketchy had asked her to deliver a package to the area frequented by the Steelheads, and that was where she saw him. He did not recognise her at first and had wanted to fight her. But she remembered how glad she had been when he had finally remembered. Fighting with Zack was not something she wanted to do.

Zack has holes in his memory, courtesy of Manticore's poking and prodding, but he had been slowly remembering things over the last seven months. It was an encouraging development. Max knew how frustrated he has been feeling, unable to recall his past fully.

Zack suddenly tensed beneath her cheeks. Wondering what has gotten to him, Max looked up quickly to see him gazing at a spot some distance away. Curious, she turned in the same direction, but nothing seemed out of place.

"Zack? What's wrong?"

He tore his gaze away from whatever he was seeing, turning back to her. "Nothing. I thought I saw something, that's all. It's nothing."

"I'm going for a ride. You want to join me?" she asked, needing to get away from everything for a while.

Zack shook his head, looking distracted. "No. I think I'll just hang around here."

"I'll see you later then," she said.

t.b.c.

* * *

A/N: So, there you go! I'll be eternally grateful if you review this to let me know what you think. Unless, of course, you're completely bored catatonic by now! (Sighs)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: It was very nice of you all to leave so many enthusiastic reviews. (Hugs). Thank you so much. Your words were really the encouragement I needed to carry on with this. I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter. Thanks again.

* * *

**Reunited Or Not - Chapter 2**

(by elle6778)

Alec watched with mixed feelings as Max rode away on her bike, leaving her guy standing by his bike in front of their apartment.

The urge to follow her, to ride up to her, was overwhelming. But he clamped down hard on it. This was not the first time he had felt like that anyway. Every time he popped in to check on her, it got increasingly difficult for him to walk away. But knowing that he had to, Alec turned his bike around and twisted the throttle, speeding in the opposite direction, away from Max.

He had just gone about ten miles when he heard the approaching rumble of another bike behind him. A quick glance over his shoulders told him that the other bike was just about a hundred feet behind him.

And it looked familiar.

Alec frowned, trying to remember where he had seen the bike.

Then it came to him. The bike looked suspiciously like the one belonging to Max's guy.

Alec shook his head roughly. Maybe he was just being paranoid. A number of other people probably own a bike exactly like that. And it was easy to check if he was right.

Alec sped up, his eyes trained on the mirror to gauge the reaction of the other rider. His lips compressed into a grim line when he noticed the bike following suit, keeping the same distance between them. Well, that was enough to confirm his suspicion.

There was no doubt in his mind now that he was being followed by Max's guy, of all things. The guy probably spotted him just now and had decided to investigate. The question was, what was he going to do about it?

_Oh, what the hell!_ He might as well just run for it. With his transgenic reflexes, there was no way an Ordinary could catch up with him.

He twisted the throttle hard and his bike sped forward abruptly, its front wheel lifting off the ground. The traffic around him was light, but the road was not completely free of other vehicles. Weaving in and out, his bike streaked perilously close past the other vehicles. The other drivers slammed their horns in warning, but Alec just ignored them.

A quick check in the mirror told him that the other bike was doing exactly the same thing effortlessly. Alec frowned. No Ordinary could do that.

Unless he was not an Ordinary.

Then it occurred to him.

The guy must be an X5.

Max was seeing an X5.

Alec felt his blood boil.

For some reason, the thought that Max was seeing one of their own kind bothered him more than if she was going out with an Ordinary. Why? Was it because he knew deep inside that an Ordinary would not be able to satisfy her physically, emotionally and mentally in the long term? Was that why he kept going back even when he thought that she had moved on?

Alec was not the type to run away from a confrontation. If Max's guy, transgenic or not, wanted one, he would gladly oblige. Not to mention that this would be a good chance to take out all his pent-up frustrations.

On someone who deserved it.

Abruptly, Alec swerved to the side, ignoring the irate horns of the other vehicles.

Parking his bike at the side of the road, he jumped off, fully expecting to see the other bike following suit. Sure enough, the other bike pulled up behind him after a few seconds. The rider got off and took off his helmet, confirming to Alec that it was indeed Max's guy.

Alec yanked off his helmet, staring at the guy assessingly, wondering what he had that attracted Max's attention.

The guy was returning his assessment with an unreadable expression on his face. Something akin to shock, Alec noted, a little confused by it. What has he got to be confused about?

"Well, are you going to stand there all day without a word? Or have you got something to say to me?" Alec snapped, breaking the silence. He was tense, ready for anything the guy might dish out.

Seemingly snapping out of whatever he was thinking of, the guy said, "You must be Alec."

Alec stiffened visibly. Max had spoken about him to this guy? The implications of that whirred in his mind, but all he said was, "Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"It's Zack."

Alec's eyes rounded. "Zack? As in Max's brother?" Now he understood the look on the guy's face when he lifted his helmet. Zack must have been shocked at the resemblance between him and Ben.

A feeling of relief came upon him. So it was only Zack with her. So she was not with someone after all? Then a thought occurred to him. Hang on, who was to say that they were not together? They were obviously not biological siblings. Alec felt his blood simmer at the thought of the transgenic in front of him laying a hand on Max.

Zack's lips tightened. "I'm her CO, but no, we're not biologically related."

Alec snorted. "Well, yeah, I guess you're not big on incest and all that stuff, huh?"

Ignoring his jibe, Zack asked coldly. "What are you doing back there?"

"I don't know what you mean."

Zack's jaw tightened. "Don't play dumb. You've been watching Max. Why are you hiding?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Alec replied, "Why not? It's a good pastime. You know, watching you and Max. It's not illegal, is it? Say, what's going on between you and Max, anyway?" he asked in a disinterested tone, completely at odds with how he was actually feeling.

Zack raised an eyebrow. "What does it look like?" he answered with another question.

Alec gritted his teeth. "You tell me."

"I think I'll pass."

"Why did you follow me? New job not challenging enough?" Alec taunted.

Zack gave him a warning look. "I want to tell you to stay away from Max. She's slowly moving on and she doesn't need you to screw things up for her. Especially when you don't even have to guts to come back to clean up the mess you caused the last time," he said coldly.

Alec recoiled at the accusation. "I've no intention of 'screwing' things up for her," he said defensively, offended that Zack would think so. What has Max been telling him?

"Just stay away from her," he warned again, the implacable expression on his face telling Alec how serious he was.

"If I don't?" Alec tossed back, unperturbed.

Zack's expression hardened, and Alec suddenly understood why Zack had been chosen as Unit 2's CO all those years ago. That look would have intimidated most transgenics. But not him, Alec thought.

"Then you'll have to go past me," Zack replied icily.

Alec smirked. He was beginning to get what this was all about. "So, big brother wants his little sister for himself, huh?" he taunted.

"I told you, we're not biologically related. And I have no such intentions towards her," Zack insisted, but Alec could see the flash of bitterness in his eyes. _So it was like that, huh? _That one-sided thing must be painful.

"Still…" Alec started to say but was cut short.

"I _said_, it's none of your business."

The guy was beginning to get on his nerves. Alec's eyes flashed. "Max IS my business."

Zack arched a brow. "So that's why you stayed away so long, huh? And have you thought about how she'll feel if she finds out that you've been watching her all this time without her knowledge? That you knew all along where she is and didn't even bother to approach her?"

Silence.

"Yeah, think _hard_ about that, Alec," Zack said, then spun around to stalk back to his bike.

Alec stood wordlessly as he watched Zack leave.

A small voice inside him taunted, _yeah, Alec, how are you going to explain it?_

* * *

The ride home was refreshing, clearing her mind further. She felt a lot calmer now. The Space Needle always had that effect on her. That was why she always went up there to think.

She pushed her bike out of the lift and headed towards their apartment. They had to do something about their living arrangement. Original Cindy had not said anything to her, but Max did not want to make her feel as if her personal space was invaded. And having a male in their apartment definitely fell into that category.

Pushing the front door open, she pushed her bike in and parked it near next to the kitchen counter.

"Hey, I'm home," she announced.

"Hey, Max," Zack greeted sleepily from the couch.

"Sorry. Didn't realise that you were sleeping," she said, dropping onto the armrest to look at a tousled looking Zack. "So, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing. Just hanging around," he said, pressing the heel of his hands into his eye sockets as he yawned.

Max frowned. It was very slight, but she could have sworn that she had heard a hint of evasiveness in his voice. "That's it?" she prompted.

"I came up after you left. I was tired."

Deciding to leave it for now, she replied, "Okay." Looking around, she asked, "So where's Original Cindy?"

Zack grinned. "Went out with her new girl," he said. "She has good taste, I have to say," he added thoughtfully.

Max smiled at his words. "That's the first time."

Confused, he asked, "What?"

"That you show that you're actually a guy and not a soldier. That you're interested in some girl," she teased with a laugh.

"My memory's not that good. But I sure know which way I swing," he proclaimed with a wry smile. "But then again, you already know that."

Max sighed. She knew what he was not saying.

Shortly after she had 'rescued' him from the steelheads, he had started behaving strange towards her. Strange as in he had seemed interested in her, and not in the brotherly way either. It had turned out that he thought that they were an item. As in romantically involved, much to her horror.

She had been quick to point out that the reality was not quite like that.

He had been confused, hurt and angry.

She had persisted and finally, to her relief, he had accepted it, albeit reluctantly.

"Sorry, Max. I shouldn't have brought it up," he said, giving her an apologetic look.

"It's okay, Zack," she brushed it off. She knew that he did not mean it, he just could not help it sometimes. Having his memory telling him one thing and having her telling him something completely opposite must be hard to cope with.

He sighed wearily. "It seems so real, but it's only my mind's interpretation. I know that. I know that the things I see in my mind is not as it seem. And that the reality is different. It would help if I can remember more, but I just can't do it."

Max looked away. "It'd be nice if you can remember where the rest is," she suddenly said.

Zack shook his head. "Even if I did, I can't tell you. Especially now. The less people know their locations, the safer it is for them."

Knowing that it was useless to press him further, Max decided to leave it.

For now.

* * *

Alec stared out of the cracked pane of the window, silently watching some of the X8s train under Biggs' guidance. The training session had attracted a small audience, a mix of transgenics and transhumans.

When he had found this place almost a year ago, he had not expected it to end up like this. All he had wanted to do was to stay there, to lay low until the heat cooled a little before making the transgenics split up. But they had somehow _settled_ into Terminal City, and so far, no one on the outside suspected that they were there.

Even from the distance, Alec could see the lizard-like transhuman who called himself Mole eyeing the training critically. He smirked. No doubt Mole would have something to say to Biggs sometime soon about his training methods. As a matter of fact, Mole had already started, Alec noted with a wry smile as the transhuman began to shout something to Biggs.

Another transhuman named Joshua, one with an uncanny likeliness to the canine species, was standing next to Mole with an excited smile on his face. Cece was on his other side, looking as if she was explaining what was going on to him.

Those training sessions were important not only to keep them all in tip-top condition, but also to keep all of the transgenics out of trouble. They were used to this, the discipline, the routine and the training. It was something familiar to them, something they could hold on to in this strange world outside.

He would do well to remember his own training, Alec thought moodily. It had been his carelessness which had exposed him. He got complacent, confident that nobody would suspect that he was watching her. He was wrong.

And now Zack knew that he was around.

His mind kept going over and over the conversation he had with Zack. The short conversation brought up some disturbing issues.

Firstly, it was Zack's relationship with Max. The thing was, Alec was not exactly sure he understood why he had gotten so riled up when he had initially thought that Zack was with Max, as opposed to Max going out with some Ordinary. Was it really because he had felt that there was a better chance of the relationship succeeding if Max was seeing another transgenic? If he wanted her to be happy, shouldn't he be accepting it and be happy for her? Why did he feel like he wanted to punch Zack senseless at that time? Not that it mattered now since the interest seemed only one sided.

Secondly, what if Zack decided to tell Max of their encounter? It was unlikely, considering Zack's own agenda. But there was still that possibility that he might. So what was he supposed to tell Max when she asked for his reasons? Was he just going to tell her that he had stayed away because he thought that she was happy and that she had moved on?

That sounded lame even to him, he thought with a grimace.

He tried to think back to the time when he had first seen her laughing and joking with her friend. That was that time he had made the decision to walk away. Yes, he had been glad that she was happy and that was one of the reasons for his actions.

Another reason, which he hated to admit even to himself, was fear. It had been easy to remember what she had said to him back in Manticore. She loved it out here. It was where she could find everything which was important to her. She did not need anything else. In her mind, he was probably the embodiment of Manticore; the perfect soldier… the breeding partner. He was everything that would remind her of her time in Manticore. What if he had walked up to her then and she had told him exactly that? What could he say?

Alec was not sure that he could handle the rejection.

He heard a soft creak behind him, telling him that someone had just come through the door into his room. There was only one person in the entire Terminal City who was familiar enough with him to do that.

"Dee," he greeted without turning around.

"What are you doing there, Alec?" she asked curiously, the sound of her footsteps coming closer.

He closed his eyes, mentally wiping off the images of Zack and Max so that when he turned around, Dee would not sense anything out of place. Answering her questions was something that he could do without at that moment.

Once he had composed his expression into some resemblance of normality, he turned to face the petite, blonde haired girl who was standing just behind him.

"This is _my_ room, the last time I checked. Or have we run out of space for the new arrivals?" he asked blandly.

Dee narrowed her eyes at him. "You know that's not what I'm asking." She nudged towards the window. "What are you looking at?"

"Just watching the kids. They're improving fast," Alec remarked. "Can't believe that Biggs actually agreed to train them. Maybe I should be worried."

She laughed lightly. "Biggs's fantastic with them. Who would have guessed?"

"Yeah, we might be lucky and all of them will turn out exactly like him. So, how are things with going with the supply run?"

"Dix and Joshua's monitored the run last night. So far so good. We got enough food for this week. I just hope that it's going to be good next week. I don't think I can deal with what we went through last week again," she muttered with a worried frown as she looked down to her feet.

He arched an eyebrow. "Hey, what's with that look? Anyone would think that we don't feed you or something."

She gave him a biting look. "Very funny, Alec," she said sarcastically. Then in an overly casual voice, she asked, "So, where have you been all day? I've been looking for you. I missed you."

Alec sighed inwardly. He had known that she would have discovered his absence at some point. Sometimes it was suffocating, the attention she loaded on him, but he guessed it was understandable. He was the closest person to her here after all. She had been stuck in the infirmary when the explosion occurred, while the rest of her unit was on a mission somewhere else. So she had automatically latched on to him during the escape and had since been by his side.

Knowing that he had to give an answer, he said, "I just went for some air."

She gave him a suspicious look. "Around here?"

"No," he replied shortly, his patience beginning to run thin. Why could she not understand that he did not want to talk to her about it?

"Where?"

"Dee, don't you have anything better to do than to interrogate me? Or are you trying out for psy-ops?" he snapped, stalking away from the window.

Unperturbed, she followed him. "I can't be worried about you, is that it?"

He turned around abruptly. "Listen, Dee. You've been great to me. But you have to understand that there are things that I won't share with anyone." Alec felt a pang of remorse when he saw the hurt in her eyes. Shaking his head slowly, he exhaled and said, "This is not about you, okay?" he said in a gentler tone.

"This is about her, isn't it?" she said softly, not looking at him.

He did not answer. Instead, he went back to the window.

A minute later, he heard the door shut softly behind him.

The sound of his sigh was loud in the room.

Alec knew that this could not go on forever. The whole situation was driving him mad. And it was not fair to those around him either. They needed a CO who whose head _and heart_ was in the game, not one who had left his heart somewhere else.

A decision need to be made.

And soon.

* * *

When the last package of the day had been delivered to its recipient, Max exhaled a long sigh of relief.

It was not as if she had anything better to do, but delivering packages all day for a small, almost insignificant sum of money was a pain. At least the sector pass gave her the convenience she would not have had otherwise, she thought grumpily.

Mounting her bicycle, she started to pedal in the direction of home.

As she approached their apartment, she paused as a thought occurred to her. Maybe she should check up on Logan to see how he was getting on with the search. It had been a week since she had seen him anyway. Maybe by now he got closer to some leads.

Turning her bicycle around, she headed in the opposite direction.

It was not long before she pulled up to the entrance of Fogle Towers. Dismounting, she pushed her bike a short distance and secured it to a lamppost.

A small feeling of anticipation began to bubble inside as she walked into the building, but she forced it down, not daring to hope for much. She was only checking in, right? Logan might not even have found anything yet, she told herself as she climbed the stairs, too impatient to wait for the lift.

When she got to his door, she rapped loudly and waited.

No answer.

She knocked again, this time harder, hoping that she would not accidentally smash his door with the impact.

The door held.

But still no answer.

Max debated whether she should pick the lock. But what if Logan and Asha were in the middle of something? She cringed. Okay, bad visual. She guessed there would be no lock picking then.

With a shrug, she decided that she would return tomorrow.

She turned to leave, but the sound of the approaching lift made her pause.

When the lift door opened, a surprised gasp escaped her lips and her eyes rounded in disbelief.

**t.b.c.**

* * *

A/N: Yep, a little cliffie there. Hope you don't mind (grins). Please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: -Been trying to upload this like for the last three days. Success, finally:Hugs everyone: Thank you so much for all your reviews. I love each and every one of them. Here's the next chapter. Hope that you'll enjoy it!

* * *

**Reunited Or Not - Chapter 3**

(by elle6778)

Alec debated the sanity of what he was about to do as he stepped into the lift. The second the door shut in front of him, doubts began to assail him. What the hell was he doing?

_What if she did not want to see him?_

_What if she told him to leave?_

_What if Zack had told her that he had been practically stalking her for months?_

_What if…what if…_ The questions kept on rushing at him mercilessly.

His eyes followed the illuminated number over the lift door as he tried not to fidget. He knew where she would be. During one of his 'visits', he had seen her through the window of the penthouse. At first, he had thought that something was going on between her and the bespectacled Ordinary who resided there, until he saw the Ordinary walking out with a slim blonde hanging on his arms. At that time, he did not want to analyse why he had felt so relieved at that scene.

He knew so much about where she hung out, but at the same time, knew nothing about what she did at those places. It was like watching television with the volume muted.

A soft bell sounded, informing him that the lift had arrived at the penthouse level. _This is it,_ he thought, taking a deep breath, steeling himself.

When the lift door opened, and there was Max right in front of him. He watched as a surprised gasp escaped her lips and her eyes rounded in disbelief.

He could almost read her thoughts, they were so clearly written on her face. It sounded something like; _she must be dreaming or something. Because it could not possibly be him standing there right in front of her, right?_

As she continued to gape, he walked out of the lift hesitantly, unsure of her reaction to his presence. After the shock had worn off, would she yell at him? Or run to him?

This was the closest he had been to her in almost a year. At this range, he could see what he had missed seeing from the distance. She was thinner than he remembered, and her eyes were shadowed. She looked tired and miserable. The same as how he himself was feeling. Far from being happy like he had initially thought.

Alec wondered about the choice he had made that first time he had seen her outside Jampony. Looking at her, it was obvious now that she was not as happy as he thought she had been. It was ironic, the way he had walked away thinking that the absence of his presence would not jeopardise her happiness.

If what he had concluded was correct, all he had done was to make both of them miserable.

Maybe it was not too late to fix it. Maybe they still have a chance.

They stood there, both rooted in the same spot as they continued to stare at each other. The long drawn out silence was almost painful. And he could not stand it any longer.

"Max." It came out as a low growl, but the sound made Max snap her eyes up to meet his hazel ones.

"Alec," she breathed out softly, almost as if she did not realise that she had said his name. Her eyes flickered over his face, to convince herself that it was really him.

Clearing his throat, he attempted to lighten the situation. "Never thought that I'd get to see you speechless," he said with a wry smile.

She blinked blankly. Then, before he could comprehend her actions, her fist snapped out, nailing him in the chest.

* * *

"Hey!" he recoiled in surprise, staring at her with a baffled expression.

The action was involuntary. She had not intended to hit him, she just was not thinking. It was suddenly too much, seeing him right in front of her eyes after such a long time of fruitless searching. Her adrenaline was pumping and her breath coming and going in short bursts. Why? How? There were so many questions in her head but she was finding it hard to voice even one.

"Where have you been all this time?" she snapped, her eyes flashing.

"Damn it, Max! We haven't seen each other for months and this is all the greeting I get?" he said, rubbing his chest gingerly. He was watching her warily now, a small frown on his face.

She could not help it. Her lips twitched. "You deserved it," she said blithely.

The lump in her chest was melting, and she felt more relaxed than she had ever been for months. As she stared at him, her eyes noted that he looked paler and wearier than he had looked when she had last seen him. Was he missing her as much as she was missing him?

"Alec…" she began, unsure what else to say.

He grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him. She did not resist. Their bodies met, molded together for the first time after almost a year of separation. Max breathed in his unique, comforting scent, feeling herself grow warm.

In a low, husky voice, he asked, "Is it too much for me to ask for a kiss?" His breath fanned her cheeks.

_A kiss_, Max's overloaded brain registered. _He wants a kiss_, she repeated numbly in her mind.

Almost tentatively, she tilted her face up and their eyes locked. The first brush of his lips against hers was hesitant, as if he was remembering how she felt, how she tasted. But that first soft contact was enough to send shivers up her spine.

Then their lips were engaged in a passionate battle, both greedy for more. Max gasped as his hand dropped to the base of her spine to pull her tighter against him.

Suddenly it was not enough. She needed more. She needed to feel more of him. Not just his lips, but everywhere. Skin to skin.

Frantic, impatient hands came up to his shoulders, yanking his leather jacket down past his arms. Arms which immediately came back to retaliate by slipping under her tight jumper, seeking out the warm flesh underneath.

Max gasped, breaking their kiss, as the back of his fingers brushed against the curve of her breast. His touch was familiar, and yet strange. In some ways, this was the first time he was touching her like this. Because the last time he had done so, she was not Max. This time it was more intense, because it was real.

She arched her back, pushing closer to him as her hands slipped inside the back of his jeans, seeking his firm flesh. Her fingers pressed onto his ass reflexively as he slid one hand round to her back, pulling her tight against him. Another hand came up to her hair, threading his fingers in the soft tresses, tugging her head to one side to expose the graceful line of her neck. Groaning, he lowered his head and sucked hard at the soft skin behind her ears, making her shudder in pleasure.

Her hands went under his t-shirt, touching his warm, muscular back. He groaned and pushed against her, allowing her to feel his hardness.

"We can't do this here," Alec whispered roughly against her neck.

"Hmm," she mumbled just before she twisted around to capture his lips in a kiss. He was like a drug, his taste was addictive and his touches even more so.

He pulled back, breathing heavily. His pupils were dilated in passion, she noted as she stared into his eyes. Gently, she lifted a hand and pressed it to his cheek.

His hand came up to envelop her small one in his. Max could see his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. "Max, much as I like to, we can't do this in front of your friend's door," he repeated, the corner of his lips lifting.

She grinned. "Funny. I didn't think that you'd be the type to care."

"You don't know a lot of things about me, Max."

His tone made her pause in thought. It sounded like he had something to tell her, but he did not want to. "Why don't you tell me?" she finally said.

He gathered her in his arms and sighed. "Later," he said softly.

She was about to push him for an answer, but then decided that she should enjoy the moment.

* * *

Alec held her close, rubbing his cheeks against her hair.

She had been glad to see him, he smiled at the realisation. And she missed him. Really missed him.

There was no doubt about it now.

He had been wrong to walk away like that. He should have gone up to her, but now it was too late to regret it. How would she feel if he told her the truth? Would the light in her eyes dim? She would no doubt demand to know why. And now, finally knowing the facts, he was not sure he could even explain what he had felt back then.

Maybe it would be alright if they just stayed like this.

She did not need to know.

_Right?_

A soft sound from her made him look down. When he saw the questioning look in her warm brown eyes, he forced himself to remain relaxed. But he had known that the moment would arrive sooner or later. He was surprised that it was not sooner.

"Where have you been all this time?" she asked curiously.

He waggled his eyebrows, trying to distract her. "Missed me?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. Just miss having an ass to kick, that's all."

He laughed out loud, suddenly feeling freer than he had ever felt. Yeah, she might not admit that she missed him, but he missed her alright. "Flattering as it is, your obsession with my ass worries me."

Snorting, she retorted, "As if. I've better things to think about than your ass. So, are you going to tell me sometime today?"

"What?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Where have you been?"

Alec inhaled slowly and then explained, "When we got out, things were a mess. No one knew where to go and to make it worse, someone's after us. I spent a lot of time gathering the rest together. We needed to stay together to survive. It's too dangerous to be alone out here."

Her face twisted in confusion. "You mean you've been with the rest of them? I've spent months looking around but can't even find one single transgenic. How did you do it?"

Alec smirked. "We've got our own 5-star hideout," he said, pulling her to her feet. "Come on, I'll show you."

* * *

Alec wrapped an arm around her as they left Fogle Towers, his gesture making her smile. It seemed so unreal. She could hardly believe that he was there, right next to her. A small part of her wondered if this was what it could be like between them right from the start if she had met him outside, without going through the Breeding Programme.

Her smile slipped off her face.

She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eyes, noting his carefree expression.

He had not asked her yet, and she wondered why.

Surely it was obvious. She looked down at her flat stomach and then frowned. Or was it not?

If she had not miscarried, she would have had their child by now. The kid would already be two months old. Maybe Alec thought that their child was safe, somewhere at home.

The sudden heat in her eyes made her blink rapidly. _No, don't start now_, Max, she admonished herself sternly. She inhaled, her breath a little ragged.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

She nodded, forcing a smiled onto her lips. "Yeah. Something got into my eyes, that's all."

She remembered his reaction when he had found out about the baby. He had looked so wistful when he touched her belly when he had found out that she was pregnant. Thinking back, she now realised that he had wanted the kid.

But would he still want her when he found out what she had done? Would he still hang around when he realised that their baby was never born because of her own recklessness and desperation to escape?

_But he did not ask about the baby,_ a small voice in her head repeated.

Shaking the depressing thoughts away, she took a deep breath to calm herself. One step at a time. She would deal with it when he asked. If he asked.

They had been walking in silence, both seemed deep in thought, Max noticed. She wondered what he was thinking about.

"So, where are we going?" she asked, breaking the silence.

He looked down at her with a small smile. "Thought I told you. It's a surprise."

"Come on, Alec. It's not like you're not going to bring me there," she prodded. "Where are we going?"

"Terminal City. The place's toxic to Ordinaries, so no one knows we're there."

Frowning, Max pulled away from his arm as she turned to face him fully. "That's not far from here. Another ten minutes, at the most."

"Yeah," he agreed, running his hands through his hair casually. But he did not elaborate.

"Strange that we haven't bumped into each other before this," she said, looking thoughtful. Terminal City was within the city limits. They were practically neighbours.

"Been laying low, so maybe that's why. We normally only come out for supply runs," he explained.

She gave him a curious look. "How did you find me?"

He grinned. "Terminal City can get a little oppressive sometimes. I needed some air so I decided to go for a quick stroll. I thought I saw you today on your bicycle. And then I decided to follow you, just to make sure it's you and not some look-alike," he said with a sheepish grin. "Quite a coincidence, huh?"

"Yeah," she replied absently.

She thought back to his reaction outside Logan's door. He seemed almost as eager as she was. But that could just be a physical thing. And that was definitely something she was sure about in their relationship. Their physical compatibility. But now that they were no longer Breeding Partners, was it just going to be sex? Or something more?

He did not say that he missed her. Not that she had expected him to, knowing him. He would probably rather take a blow to the gut than to admit something like that to her. But if he had missed her, why did he not bother to search for her?

He was so close by. They were right next to each other all this time, and yet, she had spent close to a year looking for him without any results. And Zack was right. She had been in plain sight all this while. So why had he taken almost a year to find her?

Unless he was not looking for her in the first place.

Her heart sank.

Alec chose that moment to stop suddenly.

Surprised, she asked, "What's wrong?"

He scanned the surroundings. She did the same, noting that the area were clear apart from the two of them. Then he whistled softly.

A few seconds later, the metal fence near them flipped open. Max's eyes widened as she spotted a transhuman and an X6s inside by the fence.

Alec grabbed her arm. "Let's go," he said animatedly, leading her through the door and into an alley between two abandoned buildings.

As she followed him in, she glanced at him quickly, noticing that he appeared more relaxed now.

"Hey, Alec, another new one?" a transhuman with a cigar hanging out of the corner of his mouth asked, tilting his head at her.

Alec grinned. "Look closely."

Max rested her hands on her hips as she returned the lizard-like transhuman's stare.

Then the lizard snorted. "All of you X5s look the same to me," he declared in a disgusted tone.

Alec rolled his eyes. "This is 452. Better known as Max."

The X6, who had been silent up to now, said, "452? Max?" His eyes lighted up in excitement. "Joshua told us that you unlocked the cells."

"Yeah, forget all about my part, will you?" Alec grumbled under his breath.

Max's face broke into a bright smile. "Joshua's here?" she asked. Everything was happening fast suddenly. Alec. Terminal City. Joshua.

The X6 nodded eagerly. "Come on, I'll bring you to him," he said quickly. "Name's Rex, by the way."

Alec interrupted, "Whoa! Take a step back, kiddo. She comes with me first."

"Oh," Rex said sheepishly, stilling his movements. "Sorry, Boss."

"Boss?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow. _Alec_ was the boss here?

The lizard-man thumped Alec's back hard, making him wince. "Yeah, pretty-boy here thinks he runs the place."

Rex rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to him, Max. Mole's just sore that he's not the CO."

Mole gave him a menacing look. "What did you say, Squirt?" he growled threateningly, but Rex just ignored him. He was obviously used to Mole's threats.

Max grinned. She liked this X6. "So Alec's the CO, huh?" she said, looking at Alec assessingly.

Obviously uncomfortable with the topic, Alec just shrugged. "Someone has to do it," he said lightly.

"So, what is it that you wanted to show me?" she asked, changing the topic.

"I was just going to show you around. You know, give you the grand tour. I-"

"Alec!" someone called out. "I've been looking all over for you."

Max turned around to find an attractive blonde X5 jogging towards them. When the X5 saw her, she halted in her tracks, her eyes widening in surprise. Max frowned at her reaction. She did not remember ever seeing this girl, so she did not comprehend her odd reaction.

Then, Max watched curiously as the girl recomposed herself and walked at a more sedate pace towards them.

When the girl reached them, Alec turned and said, "Max, this is Dee."

Adding to Max's puzzlement, Dee gave her a strained smile. "Hi," she said.

Max nodded at her. Suddenly there was this tension in the air that she could not quite put her finger on. It had all started when Dee walked up to them.

Dee said something to Alec, but all Max could see was the way the blonde girl was looking at Alec while she was talking. It was an intimate look. The type of look that one did not normally give friends. Or COs.

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach returned.

Now she had her answer.

Now she knew why Alec did not bother to come looking for her.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: No cliffie this time. Hope you like how it's progressing so far. Please review and let me know what you think, okay?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thanks so much for your reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying it. I think I need to apologise for the long delay in this update, but hey, here it is!

* * *

**Reunited Or Not - Chapter 4**

(by elle6778)

Dee was talking to him, telling him something about the fight that had broke out between Tix and Fay, but Alec was only half listening. Although he was facing Dee, he kept looking out of the corner of his eyes at Max.

Something was wrong. He could feel it in his guts.

She had been excited when they first entered the compound, but now, she seemed to be different. Less enthusiastic. What could have changed her feelings in such a short time? She seemed to be restless, fidgeting even. Her gaze had been directed more than once towards the makeshift gate. It was as if she wanted to leave.

But why?

Unaware of the direction of his thoughts, Dee continued blithely, "And the rest are taking sides now." She paused, taking a breath. "You need to sort this out, Alec. Alec? Hey!"

Snapping his attention back to Dee, he mumbled, "Hmm? What?"

Dee scowled. "You're not listening," she accused.

Alec gritted his teeth. At times like this, he wished that someone else was the CO. It was beginning to feel like he had to be involved in every single petty squabble in the compound. Having Dee around did not help much either. Repressing a sigh, he said levelly, "I heard you, Dee. Tix and Fay are squabbling. Let them deal with it themselves."

"It's causing problems with the rest, Alec," Dee explained, sounding exasperated.

This time Alec sighed out loud. Just what he needed now. Domestic problems in their happy transgenic community. He relented, "Okay, I'll talk to them." Then added, "But later."

"But, Alec-" Dee started.

"Later, Dee," Alec insisted firmly. All he wanted was to get back to Max to find out what was bothering her. He did not want to lose what he had just found.

After flicking a quick glance at Max, Dee gave him a knowing look. Then, she said softly, "That's her, isn't it? The girl in your mind all this time."

Alec smirked. "You're still going on about that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She scowled. "Hard not to considering how you've been."

And he had heard it enough to wish that she would just drop it. "It doesn't concern you," he said flatly.

Her eyes flickered. "Oh yeah? Gee, Alec, you seemed to have forgotten something!" she gritted out loudly.

Max was bound to have heard that, Alec thought in annoyance. But a quick glance towards Max told him that she was preoccupied with Rex. By the way the teenager was gesturing, Alec guessed that Rex was telling Max how their security worked. Alec made a mental note to have a word with the X6 about it. Rex was far too eager to please, and one day, it was going to be at the expense of their safety.

Turning to Dee, he grabbed her arm and yanked her further away from the rest of the transgenics.

"Let me go," she snapped irritably when they moved out of hearing distance into a narrow alleyway. She shook his hand off and glared at him.

He sighed wearily. "Look, Dee. I thought we had a deal."

She stared at him mutinously.

Alec gritted his teeth. He should have known better. But he had thought that she understood. Apparently she did not. Apparently she was just as bad as the rest of the females.

"I made it more than clear what I need and what I _don't_ need, Dee. And you agreed," he pointed out calmly.

She tilted her head up stubbornly. "Well, maybe I've changed my mind."

After all the time they had spent together, he knew that she was just deliberately being difficult, just by her tone. Alec felt like throttling her, but he simply shrugged. "I guess the deal's off then," he said carelessly.

Her eyes widened immediately. "No!" she protested hotly.

"It's not meant to be a permanent thing anyway," he pointed out, his voice calm. "We just agreed to help each other out until we both feel comfortable again."

"What about _my _side of the deal? How could you just break things off like this?" she yelled, her eyes flashing in anger.

"Keep it down," he growled in warning. Then taking a deep breath, he said in a gentler tone, "We've got to move on. You and I, both of us got to move on."

She sniffed derisively. "You mean now that Max's back, you don't need me anymore because you're _moving on_ back to her."

A stab of guilt pierced Alec when he noted the wounded expression in her eyes. He honestly did not expect this to happen. The way he did not expect to get so close to Max again. He had made the deal with Dee when it all seemed hopeless with Max, when he thought that Max had moved on.

Studying her distraught expression on Dee's face, he said softly, "Things change, Dee. We need to move along with it. And you're much stronger now."

She looked away. "Fine. If that's what you want," she finally said softly.

"Dee…" he started, but unsure how to continue. He felt bad about the entire situation, but he had made it more than clear to her what he wanted from her. It was not right for her to make him feel this way now.

But he had Max to think about now. And that was more important. He needed to bring Max back into his life. When he had finally realised how he felt for her, their time together was suddenly cut short. Everything had ended before they were given a chance to make things work. Now, away from Manticore, it was the time to get everything back on track.

And he could not do it with everyone thinking that he was still with Dee.

Especially not Max. Not if he wanted to pick up where they had left off back in Manticore, he thought.

A muffled sniff from Dee caught his attention. Alec stifled a groan. If he had known that this would happen, he would not have started the whole thing with Dee. But at that time, it had been a good idea. Something which solved a lot of problems for both of them.

With a sigh, he stepped towards her and laid a hand on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Dee."

A strangled sob escaped her lips as she turned around and wrapped her arms around him. "It's not just you, Alec. It's just…"

"Shh… I know," he said gently as he patted her back.

She lifted her head and dashed the tears from her eyes. Stepping away from him, she exhaled slowly. "You know? I'm being stupid."

"Huh?"

"You're right. I'm just having a hard time accepting it, that's all. It's not everyday that a girl get rejected, you know," she said, frowning a little.

A load suddenly lifted off him. Dee was alright. He held her arms and stared into her face. "You're okay?" he asked, just to be sure.

Rolling her eyes, she said in a steady voice, "I'll survive. Just go back to her. She's probably wondering what happened to you."

Alec turned to go, then after a couple of steps, he looked back at her. "Thanks, Dee."

Dee gave him a watery smile. "Take care, okay?"

"Always."

* * *

Max slid to the side and leaned back against the wall, trying to calm her erratic breathing.

He did not even have the decency to tell her. But that one little scene said it all. He did not need to tell her anything. Not anymore.

She gritted her teeth so hard that her jaw began to hurt. Could he not have at least waited until she had left the compound? If he missed his girl so much, why bother bringing her here? Why bother showing her Terminal City. Why bother kissing her earlier?

Max shut her eyes against the sting of hot tears. She would not cry over this. She had cried over many things, but she was not going to cry over Alec, however disappointed and hurt she felt. It hurt, but she would deal with it. Like how she had dealt with the pain of missing him and their baby almost a year ago.

Max understood that he did not owe her anything. They had been just breeding partners. It had been just a job to him. _She_ had been just a job to him.

She snorted derisively. His concern about their baby must have been just his natural paternal reaction, nothing more. After all, he did not care for her enough even to ask about the baby. Or even what she had been up to since her escape from Manticore. All the questions in their conversation had been raised by her, not him. He simply did not care enough.

Everything was crystal clear now.

Pushing herself off the wall, she straightened her spine and made her way towards Mole and Rex. The two of them were arguing animatedly by the gate. A sad smile curved her lips. It would have been nice to have a chance to get to know them better. But Max knew that she could not stay.

Not if it meant having to watch Alec with someone else.

"Hey, Max. Did you find Alec?" Rex asked with a grin as she approached.

She shrugged casually. "No. Maybe he's busy."

Rex frowned.

Mole snorted past his cigar. "Dee must have taken off with him again." The lizard man shook his head disapprovingly. "X5s…." he muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, but Alec said that he's gonna show Max around," Rex said, sounding perplexed.

"Probably busy with Dee now," Mole muttered disinterestedly.

Max forced a smile onto her lips. "Hey, look, guys. I've got to go, alright. Tell Alec I said bye."

"So soon?" Rex asked, clearly reluctant to see her leave.

"Yeah, have stuff to do out there," she explained casually as she walked to the gate.

"Come back to visit us, okay?" Rex said with a wave as Mole raised the gate.

The smile threatened to slip from her face. "How could I not?" she said, almost wistfully.

And then, without a single backward glance, she stepped out through the gate.

* * *

"What do you mean, she left?" Alec asked with a frown, looking around as if he expected to see her. Not seeing what he was looking for, he turned back to Mole.

"That's what I just said," Mole replied with his cigar dangling out of the corner of his mouth. He nudged at the gate. "Said she had something to do, and then stepped right out."

Perplexed, Alec looked at the gate, then back at Mole. "She can't just step out like that. You'd have to let her out. And you let her leave just like that?"

Mole gave his a disgusted look. "What? I'm her sitter now? Don't remember seeing that clause in the job description, boss."

Alec clenched his teeth. He was in no mood was Mole's attitude right then. As he was about to lash out at the lizard-man, Rex interrupted.

"Max said to say goodbye to you. She seemed to be in a hurry when she left," the X6 said, his apprehensive gaze flitting from Mole to Alec, then back to Mole.

What was so important that she had to take off like that? Without even a word to him? Taking a deep breath, Alec turned to face Rex. "Did she say where she was going?"

Rex shrugged. "She didn't say."

Frowning, Alec looked at the gate again.

Max leaving suddenly was something he definitely did not expect.

Maybe in the time he had been talking to Dee, she had somehow realised what he had done. That he had known her whereabouts for a long time but had made no move to go to her. That was the only reason he could think of that would upset her that much.

Dee.

Or perhaps Max, like everyone else, thought that there was something going on between him and Dee.

Alec ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of helplessness. What was he supposed to do now?

He needed to find her. It was time to come clean. If he had done it earlier, then maybe he would not be in this mess. All the secrets he was keeping were jeopardising everything.

They definitely needed to talk, Alec decided resolutely, and headed towards the gate.

* * *

The shock of the discovery wore off just as she approached her apartment. And now, she just felt numb.

But her mind would not rest. All she could think of was that all this time she had been practically _pining_ for him, he was with another woman. His absence, his lack of interest in her condition, everything became so clear.

She felt stupid.

She felt betrayed.

She felt disgusted by herself.

Mechanically, she slotted her key in the lock and opened the door. Entering the apartment, she shut the door quietly behind her.

Zack looked up when she entered the living room. "Hey, Max," he greeted with a warm smile.

She forced herself to return his smile. At least she got Zack with her. Someone she could care for without worrying too much about it.

Zack gave her a worried look. "Are you okay? Is something bothering you?"

Max shook her head. "No. Nothing. Just tired, that's all," she hedge, not wanting to go into it with Zack. Or anyone else for that matter.

He narrowed his eyes. "That might fool others, but not me. Come on, what's wrong?" he coaxed.

"I said, nothing. Now can you drop it?" she snapped tersely before she could stop herself. Then in a softer voice, she pleaded, "Please."

Zack stared at her silently. Then, in a resigned tone, he said, "Okay."

Max sat down on the couch beside Zack, her mind still filled with Alec. Irritated at herself, she shook her head roughly, as if she was trying to dispel the image of his smirking face from her mind. Closing her eyes, she leaned back with a sigh. She could feel Zack watching her from the side, but she did not turn around.

Zack spoke, breaking the silence. "Original Cindy said that she'll be crashing over at her girl's place tonight."

Max looked up. "Oh. Thing are going well then?" she asked, trying to inject some enthusiasm into her question.

Zack shrugged, the corner of his lips lifting. "She didn't say. But I guess so."

Max sighed. Original Cindy would tell her that she needed to talk. To let it all out. She had to admit that sometimes, it actually worked. Maybe that was all she had to do. Talk to someone.

She just was not sure that Zack was the right person.

But what harm could it do? She would not feel any worse than how she was feeling now.

Staring straight ahead, she started, "Something happened today."

Zack shifted on the couch, facing her fully. "What?" he asked a little warily.

"I bumped into Alec," she muttered tonelessly. There. It was not so hard, was it?

Zack sucked in his breath. "And?"

Max closed her eyes. No. She just could not do it. It was too painful. "And nothing," she said softly.

Confusion marring his expression, Zack asked, "You saw him and then nothing? What happened, Max?"

She exhaled loudly, and then looked down, studying her hands. "I just don't understand. After all this time, he didn't even ask about the baby. It's like the whole thing didn't even bother him."

Zack stared at her silently.

Max shook her head slowly. "I don't know what to think anymore. I thought he cared. But he just moved right on to someone else. I guess it's just me and my crappy luck with men, huh? I just thought that maybe, this time it would be different."

Zack suddenly burst out harshly, "What did you expect, Max? He was in Seattle all this time, but didn't even bother to approach."

His words made her pause. Giving him a suspicious look, she asked softly, "How do you know he's been in Seattle all this time? I didn't say that he was in Seattle."

Zack looked away mutely.

"Zack?"

He glanced at her briefly. His face devoid of expression, he declared, "I saw him one day."

Max's eyes widened, her expression disbelieving. "You saw him one day? What do you mean, Zack?" she asked apprehensively. What Zack had just said could not be true, because if it was, that meant that Zack had been keeping it from her for who knew how long.

"He was watching you, and I caught him at it," Zack explained stonily.

Her jaw dropped. He knew. Zack knew that Alec was around and he did not tell her. How could he keep something like that from her? Was it because of how he felt for her? Was his mind still telling him that there was something between them?

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" she asked angrily.

Zack gave her a hard look. "And what would that achieve, Max? Look at yourself now!"

Her lips compressed. "You could have just told me, Zack."

"Look, his actions didn't make sense to me at that time. And it still doesn't. If he cared, why didn't he just come up to you and just talk? Why did he hide? Something was off and I was just trying to protect you from being hurt like this. Again."

"I don't need that sort of protection. You don't need you to screen who I see," she snapped heatedly.

Zack looked hurt. "Is it so wrong? Is it wrong that I care about you? And before you ask, not in _that_ way."

Max fell silent. His words were uncomfortably close to the truth.

Zack's eyes widened in comprehension. "What? You thought that I did it because of some misplaced jealousy of Alec?" He let out a harsh bark of laughter. "You did, didn't you?" he bit out accusingly. "You thought that I was jealous and that's why I didn't tell you."

Zack sounded angry, but worse, he sounded disappointed.

"It's not like that," she said, looking away evasively.

"Then what is it, Max? You want me to tell you so that you can get hurt all over again? The guy didn't even bother to come up to talk to you." He inhaled loudly. Then, in a level voice, he said, "You've seen him now. But look at you. You're back to being miserable. THIS is what I was trying to protect you from."

"I didn't ask for all this to happen!" she yelled angrily.

He stood up abruptly. "You know what really bothers me? That after all this time, you still doubt me. I thought you understood. It's not easy not remembering myself, and I have to tell myself everyday that we don't have the type of relationship my mind keeps on telling me we have. You think it makes me feel good? Thinking of my sister _that _way? But I've tried. And it's under control. But you're still cautious. You still suspect the worse of me," he said sadly, shaking his head.

"Zack…"

"It's okay, Max. I'll make this easy."

"What do you mean?" she asked, watching him gather his stuff apprehensively. "Zack, what are you doing?"

"I'm moving out," he said shortly.

A surge of panic rose in her. "You don't have to do that."

Zack gave her a tight smile. "I have to, Max." Then, in a softer tone, he said, "I'm just moving out. I won't disappear. I've been thinking about it for a while now anyway. Something is telling me not to stay in one place." He laughed mirthlessly. "I guess the prolonged Escape and Evade exercise kinda stayed in me."

"Zack, I'm not asking you to leave."

"I know you're not." Then he shrugged. "Maybe it's just time for me to move on."

Max closed her eyes.

Everyone was moving on.

Everyone.

Except her.

* * *

**t.b.c.**

A/N: Hope you've enjoyed that! Not long more till the end review and let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters do not belong to me, but the plot is mine. This fan-fiction had been written purely for entertainment purposes. No infringement was intended and no profit had been made out of this.

A/N: Thank you for your reviews! Here's the next instalment and I hope that you'll enjoy it!

* * *

**Reunited Or Not - Chapter 5**

(by elle6778)

Max looked out of the window sullenly. The night was dark, reflecting the shade of her mood.

She needed to get out. Too many things were happening to her all at once. Everything she had believed in for the last one year was crumbling down on her. It was time to think about what she really wanted and what she would be willing to let go.

The Space Needle.

That was the one constant in her life. The place she could go to, maybe to clear her mind a little.

With that, she went to her Ninja and wheeled it out of the apartment.

"Where are you going?"

Max looked up, started by the unexpected voice from the shadows in the hallway. She tensed when she processed the identity of the man who was beginning to emerge from his hiding place.

Alec stepped out slowly, his eyes not leaving her. His expression was grim.

She tensed further, her hands clenching the handlebars in a death grip. What was he doing here? And how the hell did he know where she lived?

_Because he has been watching you,_ _Max,_ a small voice told her. Zack's words came back to her. How Alec had never bothered to approach her, even when he knew all along where she was. And now it was too late.

Right now, his presence was the last thing she needed. She did not want to see him or talk to him now. Or maybe never.

Max wondered if she should push her Ninja out of the apartment, or just head back in. And lock the door behind her. She snorted inwardly. As if that would do any good.

"Where are you going, Max?" his repeated question forced her to glance up at him.

"To get some air," she said briefly, not wanting to go into details. Maybe he would just let her be. Maybe he would just leave her alone like he had done for the past year.

"Need some company?" he asked with a smirk.

_No such luck,_ she thought sourly. "No, thanks."

On one hand, she wanted to yell at him and demand to know the answers to the questions in her head. But on the other hand, she knew that the answers might not be something she needed, or wanted to hear at all. Glancing up at him, she said icily, "What do you want, Alec?"

He frowned, confusion marring his expression. "A goodbye would have been nice, you know. Instead of just leaving like that," he remarked, moving closer towards her.

"I had things to do, so I told Rex to tell you I left," she said tightly.

He stepped in front of her, crowding her. "I don't get it, Max. You were fine when we first got to TC, and then, suddenly, you just left. I mean, what's the deal?"

She stared off in the distance, not saying anything. She did not trust herself enough to speak. Things which were better left unspoken might accidentally escape her lips.

"Max, we need to talk," he prodded softly, his gaze sweeping their surrounding once before it landed back on her. "Come on, let's go in," he said, grabbing her arm.

She pulled away from his grasp. "I have to be somewhere else."

He gave her a sceptical look, obviously not believing a word. "Yeah? Where?"

"Meeting up with someone."

He let out a sigh of exasperation. Then in a harsher tone, he snapped, "Well, it can wait. This won't take long. Let me say my piece and if you still want to leave, then leave. But at least give me a chance to explain things."

Like to explain why he got together with Dee, no doubt, Max thought, her heart constricting painfully. "What are you talking about? There's nothing to explain," she said carelessly.

His expression became pinched. "Yes, there is, Max."

"Some other time, maybe," she said disinterestedly and then proceeded to side-step him.

A strong hand clamped over her arm. "No. Now," he insisted in an uncompromising tone.

"Get your hands off me," she growled in warning. She flicked down the bike stand with her foot and settled her bike before she turned back to face him, glaring angrily. Why was he forcing her? Why could he not leave her alone? Her grip on her tightly controlled emotions was slipping precariously, and all she wanted to do was to just be alone before she lashed out at someone.

Alec smirked. "Now where have I heard that before?" he asked, his grip around her arm tightening almost painfully.

"I guess you just don't listen too well," she said, trying to throw his arms off hers with no luck. "I mean it, Alec. Let go," she gritted out. His hand on her arms was doing strange things to her. It was like her body recognised his touch and wanted more of it, much to her dismay.

"Not until you hear me out," he stipulated firmly, pulling her closer.

He was so close that she could smell nothing but the unique scent that was just Alec. But he was crowding her, making it hard for her to think. Making it hard for her to remember why she did not want to talk to him.

Suddenly it all became a little too much. Alec, Zack, Dee and everything else in between. Something erupted within and fanned out in a hot rush all over her. With a hard wrench, she tore away her arm from his grip and swung around to face him fully.

"Hear you out? HEAR YOU OUT!" she snarled into his face. Using both her hands, she pushed him back roughly. "NO! I don't want to hear anymore from you or anyone else," she yelled. "I'm through with listening!" Her eyes were awash with anger.

A shocked expression graced Alec's face. He obviously did not expect her violent reaction. "Hey, chill, okay?" he said cautiously, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture.

Max's eyes narrowed. "Chill?" She snorted. "Do me a favour, Alec. Just walk away, okay?" she lashed out.

His expression tightened. "No."

"No?" Was the guy trying to be dense or what? Could he not see that the last thing she wanted to do was to talk?

"It's not too much to ask, Max. Just talk, nothing else."

Nothing else? What else did he think they were going to do? "Actually, I'm not in the mood to talk right now," she said, her chin lifting up stubbornly. Surely he would get the idea by now.

To her dismay, his face took on a hard, implacable expression. Before she realised what he had in mind, he had grabbed her arm and pushed her back into the apartment, slamming the door shut behind them. "Well, guess what? I'm not giving you a choice."

Max stood facing him with her hands on her hips, hardly believing that he had actually forced her back into her own apartment. Her eyes were flashing murderously as she glared at him. "What do you think you're doing?" she snarled, stalking dangerously towards him.

He stood his ground, matching her glare. "You're being stubborn."

"My attitude is none of your business," she spat, jabbing him in the chest with one finger.

Alec caught her finger in his hand. "Wrong, Max. It IS my business. It became my business when you suddenly did a 180 turn between the time you walked into TC and the time you left."

"No," she protested as she yanked her finger back from him. "It's not your business!" Her fist snapped out of its own volition, nailing him in the cheek.

"Damn it, Max!" he exclaimed, astounded. Rubbing his cheeks, he glared at her.

"Get out," she gritted out. She really could not deal with this right now. She did not want to hear him demanding to know why she left. Or the inevitable explanation from him about his absence for the last one year. Or his relationship with Dee.

Completely ignoring her words, he just gave her a predatorial look which made the fine hair at the back of her neck stand. "You're not getting rid of me so easily, Max," he said just an instance before he lunged forwards.

As of a sudden, Max found herself slammed hard against the wall, her breath escaping her in a rush. She tried to push him away, but he had her pinned using his larger mass.

Momentarily abandoning her attempts, she glared at him. "What exactly do you want, Alec?" she spat into his face.

Breathing hard, he just stared at her wordlessly.

"I said-"

But before she could get another word out, her lips were crushed roughly beneath his. Max's eyes widened in shock and she tried to turn to the side, but his hand came up to hold her in place. She tried to clamp her lips together, but only succeeded in biting his lips.

He hissed out loud, lifting his head up to look down at her with smoky, dilated eyes. His lips were tinged red where she had bitten him. Max's tongue snaked out to lick her lips, tasting the coppery taste of his blood on her taste buds as she searched his eyes in confusion. What was he doing? Why was he doing this?

"Reminds me of the good old times," he remarked huskily, and then his head descended upon her lips again, effectively sidetracking her train of thought. "When you were hell bent on kicking me out of your cell," he continued.

The feel and the taste of his mouth on hers were intoxicating, clouding her mind. His lips were moving urgently, almost impatiently over hers, nipping and sucking relentlessly. She gasped when his tongue entered her mouth to seek hers.

Those lips then travelled down her jaw, planting kisses until he reached her neck. Max involuntarily arched back, unwittingly allowing him more access to her skin.

"This is what we should be doing, Max. Not fighting," he rasped against her neck as his hands slipped beneath her black, cropped top to find her skin.

"No," she protested half-heartedly. "Not this," she whispered, her eyes fluttering shut involuntarily.

"Stop thinking," he instructed as his hand ran up her ribcage to cup the underside of her breast. His touches were not tentative. They were sure, confident and it was making her lose all control.

Max's eyes snapped open when his thumbs grazed her nipples through her bra. Goosebumps exploded over her skin, and she responded with a passionate hiss. He groaned in reply.

"At least, if this is the end, just let us have this to remember," he whispered almost brokenly, pulling her top off over her head. Once the top was halfway across the room, he kissed her deeply.

She twisted to the side, breaking their kiss. Between gasps, she muttered, "Don't do this, Alec. It's just going to make things more difficult." Her hand came up to circle his wrists, to still them.

Easily dislodging her hand from his wrists, he continued his ministrations. "You want this too," he pointed out, running the flat of his palm over her body, inciting a hiss of pleasure from her.

The touch of his rough skin against her was fanning the flame of her arousal, making it hard for her to breath normally. "You're reading too much into it, Alec," she said tightly, closing her eyes to avoid his searching gaze.

He raised his eyebrows. In a quick move, he had her pinned to the wall. She released a gasp of outrage, trying to push him off.

But she suddenly stilled when she felt his hand down the front of her pants. "No." If he touched her there, he would know how aroused she had become.

When his hand slipped past her waistband, she knew that she would not be able to work up the strength to resist him, especially considering that her traitorous body had been deprived for so long.

The first contact of his fingers sent shockwaves through her body. Max bit her lips to stop herself from crying out.

"Let go, Max," he whispered against her neck.

His words crumbled her already weakening defences. She knew that she would hate herself for it, but she could not help responding to him.

She moaned out loud as he continued to caress her, her fingers gripping his shoulders in a death grip. It might leave a bruise, she thought absently.

Then, wanting more, she slid her hand down to unzip him, hearing his sharp intake of breath as she did so. His eyes were burning hot with desire as he watched her.

It was not long before their clothes ended up scattered around the living room. They could not seem to get enough of each other.

He lowered her onto the floor, his eyes devouring her as his hands played with her. The touch of his skin against hers felt like a brand, hot and permanent. He was touching her like he wanted to absorb every inch of her.

Then he moved closer.

She kept her eyes on him, watching his face contort almost as if he was in pain as he pressed his hardness against her. And then her eyes fluttered shut the moment she felt him sliding in. They were a perfect fit.

His thrusting movements created a friction inside her that she had almost forgotten. A groan escaped his lips as she bucked up to meet his thrusts. She could sense that his control was slipping as his movements became more erratic, more forceful.

The pressure within her was building, escalating rapidly, stimulated by the contact between them and the heated look Alec had in his eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Look at me," he whispered raggedly. "I want to watch you."

Her eyes snapped open as the first waves of her climax exploded over her body. Her mouth opened in a silent gasp as her body trembled uncontrollably.

As the aftershocks washed over her, she heard Alec expel a loud groan before he shuddered against her.

* * *

Max was curled up in his lap. He could hear her breath gradually slowing down to its normal pace. Closing his eyes, he nuzzled his face against the top of her head. Right now, he was content.

"I missed you," he said gruffly, holding her close. He had wanted this so much, thought about this so much that now it all seemed almost surreal.

To his surprise, she pulled away from him abruptly, glaring reproachfully. "Stop this, Alec! You can't just walk in and out of my life anytime you like," she said in a resentful tone.

Alec sighed. It was more than evident that she was not prepared to let go of whatever it was that bugged her. "We need to talk. Just give us a chance, Max."

She lifted her chin defiantly, displaying that stubborn streak. "Give it a chance? You knew where I was all this time but you didn't even bother to come up to me. Who's not giving it a chance?"

Alec froze. So Zack had spilled the beans after all. "I have my reasons for that," he said tightly.

Max snorted disbelievingly. "Like you always do."

He immediately stiffened. "That's not fair, Max."

Her eyes flashed angrily. "Not fair? You know what's not fair? What's not fair is when you _know_ where I am, but didn't even do anything about it while I was searching all over for you for almost a year! Now tell me if that's fair!"

Silence ensued. He did not know that she had been searching for him. If he had known, he would have realised that she still wanted him. All this pain, all this resentment was just because of misunderstandings. It was time to clear everything up.

He said edgily, "I saw you with your friends and Zack, alright!"

"What are you talking about?"

She probably would not believe him, but he had to tell the truth. There had been enough misunderstandings, too much distrust between them already. Taking a deep breath, he began slowly, "The first day I found you, you were laughing with a friend. It was the first time I heard you laugh like that," he shrugged, his expression wistful. "And then Zack turned up. I thought you were happy, with all your friends and Zack. You never stopped telling me how much better it was for you outside. So I didn't want to screw things up for you. That was why I didn't come up to you."

She looked stunned. Blinking disbelievingly, she exclaimed, "That's it? That's why you let me wonder what happened to you for the last one year? Alec, I _asked_ you to come with me. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you close."

Alec ran a hand over the back of his head in a show of discomfort. "Alright! I know that now. It wasn't the smartest move, but it happened, alright? There's nothing I can do about it now," he replied, his tone tinged with embarrassment.

She glanced away, obviously mulling over his words. Then she turned back, her expression wary. "So what now? You totter back to Dee and we pretend that this didn't happen?" she asked, her eyes looking everywhere but at him.

Alec sat up abruptly and turned to stare at her, hardly believing what he was hearing after what had just happened between them. "What? No! I had a deal with her, that was all."

Her lips curled in disgust. "You mean you were in it for the sex only, and she wanted more."

"No!" he denied hotly. "No. We just made it look that way," he admitted. "It was never really like that."

Max frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Dee had made him promise not to tell anyone, but this was different. He needed to come clear with Max. "When we got out, Dee was pregnant with her Breeding Partner's baby. But she lost it during the escape," he said softly, watching her intently.

Max swallowed as a flash of pain crossed her features.

"Max…"

She interjected quickly. "I'm okay. It's just that it's still hard, sometimes." Then, exhaling slowly, she asked, "How did she end up with you then?"

"She was shot by one of the X7s, and was barely conscious when I got to her. Anyway, we have been running together since. Then when we found Terminal City, the news got out and everyone started arriving. One of them was her breeding partner. I don't know what's the deal with the guy, but he refused to leave her alone."

"What? He has feelings for her or something?"

Alec shrugged. "I don't know. But Dee hates him."

"Why?"

"He took his orders seriously," Alec said carefully, watching Max for her reaction.

Max's eyes widened in understanding. "She refused, but he went ahead anyway," she said flatly.

Alec nodded, and then allowed himself to smirk. "Yeah, not everyone's as considerate as I am."

Max rolled her eyes. "That's just because I kicked your ass."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Still in denial, are we?" he teased, but inwardly glad that Max seemed to be accepting his explanation.

"So, was that why she ended up with you? For protection? What's in it for you?" she asked suspiciously.

He held his hand to his chest. "That hurt. I was just being kind, you know?"

Max just stared at him, her eyes narrowed.

"Alright, alright," he relented. "It was simpler to have her next to me. I don't have to deal with potential mates."

Max's expression turned incredulous. "Potential mates?" Her tone expressing her distaste.

Alec looked sheepish. "I don't know, all this breeding business must have gotten to some of the females. They seem to want to… you know, mate?" he remarked with a frown, scratching his head. "It's like breeding season or something. Which is not that bad if you want to be tied down to just one female, I guess."

Max smacked him on the arm. Hard.

"Hey!" he objected, rubbing his arm. Then, with a softer look, he said, "I saw what it's like for Dee when she lost her baby. It must have been hard for you. I should have been there."

Max lowered her eyes. "Yeah. I had a tough time for a while. Zack and Original Cindy helped."

Alec shifted uncomfortably. He needed to be sure of something, and since they were doing all this opening up thing, he might as well do it now. "Zack and you. Did anything happen between the two of you?" he asked, keeping his voice casual.

Grinning, Max asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"Come on, Max."

She shook her head. "No."

Alec exhaled a sigh of relief.

She gave him a curious look. "What made you think there's something going on, anyway?"

Alec hesitated for a moment before he remarked, "You two seemed close."

Her brows furrowed. "We grew up together, Alec. What do you expect? Of course we're close. He's like a brother to me."

He shrugged, and then said cockily, "Just as well. I don't want to beat up your brother."

Rolling her eyes, Max said flatly, "I'm sure Zack can take care of himself."

He smirked. "Well, I think I'd hold off anyway. I want our baby to have an uncle."

Max's eyes grew large. Her words came out as an astounded whisper. "What?"

He pulled her close, glad when she did not resist. "I think I like the idea of us being together. And I like the feeling of knowing that we created something together."

A soft smile graced her lips as she looked up at him. "Yeah, we've been through that before. But it was a little different then."

Alec sighed exaggeratedly. "Yeah. Renfro being the godmother kind of ruined things a little for us."

Max grinned.

"So…About the baby…" he said, nuzzling her ears with his lips.

"Hmmm?" she murmured, turning sideways to look at him.

His eyes twinkled. "Do you want to get started on one soon?"

Max raised her eyebrows and then slowly climbed over him. "Is that an order, soldier?"

He waggled his brows. "Yeah."

"Then I can't refuse, can I?"

Laughter rang through the apartment as they tumbled together in a heap on the floor.

* * *

**.:The End:.**

A/N: Yes, that's it, folk. The happy ending you've been looking for ever since the end of Breeding Partners Or Not. I hope that you've enjoyed the story. Please leave me a few words to tell me what you think.


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